E46CT

There's way too much discussion and debate on oils on all car forums from the beginning of time. Oil is one of those things men are able to do themselves, so it turns into a personal heated debate as any man can fall in love with a label/color scheme and marketing ploy. It's like sports. It becomes a team therefore becomes tribal & personal. This is why debates start.

Objectively, the correct answer for any car is always: follow the owners manual. And this is not coming from a nerd who doesn't know. I've built/rebuilt many engines and cars.

As for brands, all brands today are good so long as the oil meets spec. Personally, this self admitted (from early days) oil snob would go Amazon 0W-20 if my owners manual called for 0W-20. This is fine for 99.999999999% of people. If you're a hardened track driver (i used to do track) then sure, try Redline. But off the shelf stuff is more than good enough for street driving, so long as you change it often. Doesn't matter the brand.

As for those youtube videos showing blown engines, take it with a grain of salt.

The engineers did the hard work in determining the right oil for your car. Don't lose sleep over it. Your job is to buy the car and enjoy it. Worrying about oil brand/weights is none of your concern

bb700092

Ditto here (though mine is 200T, not 450h). I would also like to know where to get Toyota synthetic 0W20 oil and filter (for 4GS) for the lowest price. $5.18/quart is the lowest I found: https://www.oempartsource.com/oem-pa...yABEgKaTvD_BwE

bladest

Hi guys for Europe and my country i think , since i dont like 0w 20 car eats it like crazy,
0w 40 its extremely hard to find and i dont trust that oil as well,
i plan to switch to either 5w 30 or 5w 40 oil which one i should use pick for my lexus gs450h 4th generation for europe ?

bclexus

I would stick with the 0W-20 viscosity that Toyota/Lexus recommends for your car's engine which will provide it with optimal lubrication. If I was going to go against the Toyota/Lexus recommendation I would stick with 0W and move up to 0W-30, or a blending of 0W-20 with 0W-30 for a 0W-25 viscosity.


Engine wear is at its worse when the engine is first cold-started, so the 0W part of the engine oil is the most important consideration to reduce cold startup metal-on-metal wear by getting the engine oil flowing throughout as quickly as possible for optimal lubrication.

Most people don't realize it but 0W-20 engine oil is MUCH thicker at room temperature (say ~75°F or 24°C) than straight 40 or 50 weight engine oil at typical engine operating temperature of 100°C (212°F). Compare how watery hot oil draining from the oil pan is (even with 40 or 50 weight engine oil) compared to how thick 0W-20 oil is when pouring in new oil at room temperature.

Your car's engine tolerances (e.g crank, rod and cam bearings) and components (e.g. variable valve timing system oil pressure switches, etc.) are specifically designed to operate flawlessly with 0W-20 engine oil. If you use a higher viscosity oil (e.g. 30 or 40 weight for 2nd number) you could do damage to bearings that are specifically designed with tighter (lesser) clearances specifically for use with 20W engine oil - this is due to the possibility of a 'ramping-up' effect of a thicker oil in the tighter bearing clearance.

The Toyota/Lexus engineers know what is best for the engines. Second-guessing them or opposing their recommendation is most definitely not wise. I would stick with the 0W-20 viscosity that Toyota/Lexus recommends for your car's engine and change the engine oil and oil filter per the recommended service schedule. By doing that the engine will be lubricated properly and reach its maximum mileage. Doing otherwise, you are likely causing the engine to have a shorter life...

bladest

Lexus europe in most countries uses 5w 30 oil and also 0w20 is not widely available i have old car history of my car they used in the past 5w30 LEXUS DEALERship are they stupid or what? 0w20 is eco friendly oil good for envirent and it becames water after 90 degrees

bclexus

5W would take a smidgen longer to get flowing throughout the engine at cold-start compared to 0W. How much is a smidgen longer? It's next to impossible to determine because it really depends of what the ambient temperature is of the engine oil at cold-start. For example, you have to keep in mind that two identical engines with both using [say] the recommended 0W-20 engine oil but with one engine cold-started at 70°F and the other engine cold-started at 12°F, the engine cold-started at 12°F will have its engine oil delayed a smidgen longer to get flowing throughout the engine even though both engines are using the exact same viscosity oil. For that reason it's next to impossible to determine to what extent or measure 5W engine oil might cause more cold-start damage compared to using 0W engine oil. That said, 5W engine oil used in a warm/hot climate area will almost certainly be better than using 0W engine oil in a Tundra, Alpine or Subarctic climate area.

The bottom line is to use an engine oil with the lowest 1st number (e.g. 0W) so it can get flowing throughout the engine as quickly as possible regardless of the ambient temperature. That of course would be a 0W engine oil.

The 2nd number (e.g. 20, 30, 40) is the viscosity weight at 100°C (212°F) which is the typical operating temperature of engine oil under normal conditions. While even a 20 or 30 weight engine oil is thicker at room temperature, it becomes much thinner as it heats up toward its typical operating temperature. Think of the 2nd number of engine oil (e.g. 20, 30) providing optimal lubrication after the engine has reached typical operating temperature whereas the 1st number of engine oil (e.g. 0W) provides lubrication at cold-start.

You can now see that with a typical engine oil operating a a temperature of 100°C (212°F) we know the temperature condition in which the engine oil must perform when the engine is being operated under typical or normal conditions. On the other hand however, you can also see that with varying temperature climates in which engines are cold-started we do not have a specific cold-start temperature - therefore we don't have a typical cold-start condition so we must use the lowest 1st number engine oil (e.g. 0W) to help reduce cold-start metal-on-metal wear. We're in good shape since we know the typical operating temperature of engine oil, so the design engineers can choose the appropriate 2nd number engine oil viscosity to use in the engine for excellent lubrication. We're in not so good shape without knowing the ambient cold-start temperature so we must use the lowest 1st number (e.g. 0W) to help reduce cold-start metal-on-metal wear.

Protecting an engine operating continuously for many hundreds of hours on-end with optimal lubrication is not a problem. The design engineers know that 20 weight engine oil is the perfect oil weight choice for your engine. Can 30 weight engine oil be used without harming the engine? Yes, but it's not perfect... Protecting an engine from cold-start metal-on-metal wear is not as easy as protecting a continuously operating engine.

Your engine is best protected (both at cold-start and at typical operating condition) by using 0W-20 engine oil, but if you or the dealership deviates from that factory recommendation, you're better off, in my view, of sticking with OW to help reduce cold-start wear and bumping up to 30 for the 2nd number. I really don't see that using 5W-30 is a problem even though it might not be the most ideal choice.

What most people are totally unaware about is how long it takes a cold-start engine's engine oil to reach typical 100°C (212°F) operating temperature. It takes must longer than the engine's coolant temperature indicates. A car parked outside in 10° ambient temperature, cold-started and then driven may take close to an hour for the engine oil to reach typical 100°C (212°F) operating temperature...and it may never reach the typical or optimal operating temperature. I wish all vehicles came with engine oil temperature gauges and transmission fluid temperature gauges. It would be quite an eye-opener for a lot of enthusiasts that think when their coolant reaches normal range that their engine oil and transmission fluid have also reached typical operating temperatures. Far from it!

bladest

In bulgaria we dont have harsh winters like in russia most temperatures in winter are -5-10 degrees maximum so should i stick to 5w 30 or try 0w30. Or 0w40? For Bulgaria climate, for driving hard and also for bulgaria we have hot climate in the summer is 5w30 the best choise or 5w40 i am so lost and confused? In the summer if i use 0w20 car eats it and due to high temperature pil is gone so i need to add a lot of oil constantly and doesnt protect the engine at high temperatures

bclexus

Your engine should not be using (burning) any noticeable engine oil. I would try to determine why the engine is using engine oil and requiring that you add more on a regular basis. If not leaking, it sounds like maybe piston rings might be suspect

I would recommended using 0W-20 if possible. Apart from what the car maker recommends, I'd probably elect to use 0W-30 if available, but if not, I'd use 5W-30.

I'm in Dallas Texas where the summer temperature commonly exceeds 100°F (38°+C) on a regular basis. I've never had any problem using 0W-20 in any vehicle's engine. I have never heard of anyone having a problem using 0W-20 engine oil.

0W-xx engine oil is the best thing to come along to help protect engine wear at cold-start.

bladest

Russian guy damages his engine with 0w 20
and i tried 0w 20 with many cars its terrible ECO fuel saving oil no benefits

he switched for RUSSIA from 0w 20 to 0w 40 and also told to use 5w 40

in manual i see options on the 3rd place 5w 30 anybody used this oil in usa ?
for GS 450H?

bclexus

Do you really believe that hogwash?

I really hate being the bearer of bad news or making doom-and-gloom predictions, but as a wise man once told me it’s best to face the awfulness of reality than to talk yourself into believing a lie. If it has to be explained to you - it's not worth my time explaining it to you. You're free to think what you want.

I'm finished trying to help you...

bladest

I have personally owned several cars,
and i also know a lot of people who also owns and lives here several cars,
and no body is using 0w 20 oil no body
even for brand new cars
they are still using 5w 30
and according to manufacturer - only 0w 20 should be used.
And when you go to most dealership and you ask for oil change most of the time 99% they are lacking 0w 20
so they put inside whatever they have 5w 30 or 5w 40.
I am talking brand new CARS.
Let me give you example Skoda,Mitsubishi,Toyota,Honda i know people with such brand new cars.... which are still on the lease and under warranty...

bclexus

Think what you want - Do what you want. Nobody gives a damn what you think or what you do....

You have one thing correct - according to manufacturer - only 0W-20 should be used.

bladest

So dealership do whatever they like no body of them is using 0w 20 at least here in Bg,
so all of the cars should suddently brake, according to you but this doesnt happen, do you know why, because 5w 30 is better lubrication oil for example compared to 0w 20 which became water above 90 degrees.

bclexus

I can't imagine why a Lexus dealership in Bulgaria (or any country for that matter) can't obtain an adequate supply of Toyota branded 'highly recommend' 0W-20 engine oil (specially formulated by Toyota for Toyota vehicles) for their warehouse stock to service their customer's vehicles. Even in the unlikely event your Bulgaria Lexus dealership can't get Toyota branded 0W-20 engine oil, certainly they should be able to get their hands on some other brand of 0W-20 engine oil.

bladest

Even motul have 0w 20 oil, and its called hybrid and it covers
API STANDARDS
API SERVICE SP
OEM RECOMMENDATIONS
HONDA, KIA, NISSAN, TOYOTA

This doesnt mean thats this 0w 20 oil is the best in the world for that hybrid car.


https://www.clublexus.com/forums/gs-...-oil-type.html

Here is one example another topic from another person 7 years 5w 30
so i guess i am right its up to dealership to decide what they have in stock to put inside your car.